POPE LEO XIV: What to know about first American pope, Cardinal Robert Prevost
Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States has been selected as the next pope, and he will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
He is the first American pontiff in history.
Robert Prevost, a 69-year-old from Chicago, is described as a leader with global experience. He was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago on September 14, 1955. He spent much of his career as a missionary in South America and served as bishop in Peru. He also became a citizen of Peru in 2015.
He started his religious journey at age 22 at the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine in Saint Louis. He later studied at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University and was ordained in June 1982. He spent much of his ministry in Peru, serving in various roles, including as the archbishop of Chiclayo.
Pope Francis brought him to Rome in 2023 to assume the presidency of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and, at the same time, appointed him as the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations, which is considered one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church.
READ ALSO: CONCLAVE: Jubilations as white smoke emerges from Sistine Chapel signaling new pope election
During his time in that role, he presided over a reform by adding three women to the voting bloc that decides which bishop nominations to forward to the pontiff. [3] In early 2025, Francis appointed Prevost to the most senior rank of cardinals.
The election took place during a secretive voting process known as “the conclave” in the Sistine Chapel. There were 133 voting cardinals, and any one of them needed two-thirds of the vote to become the next pope.
This meant 89 votes were needed.
White smoke billowed above the Sistine Chapel earlier in the afternoon, signaling the selection of a new pontiff. He was elected on the second day of the conclave.
In his first remarks as Pope from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, he called for peace and paid tribute to the late Pope Francis to a roaring crowd.
He addressed the crowd for the first time as Pope Leo XIV from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, saying, “Peace be with you,” and emphasized a message of peace, dialogue and missionary evangelization.
He wore the traditional red cape of the papacy. He spoke to the crowd in Italian and Spanish, but not English, reflecting his “pastoral care” and his decades spent ministering in Peru. He also addressed the people of Chiclayo, Peru, in Spanish, recalling his many years spent there.
Prevost chose the name Leo XIV.
The name Leo has significance, as Leo XIII, who led the church from 1878 to 1903, softened Catholicism’s confrontational stance toward modernity and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought, notably with his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers’ rights and capitalism.
Choosing the name Leo XIV suggests the new pontiff’s priorities, indicating he is “very concerned about the church serving the greater social needs of the world” and is a “deep sign of commitment to social issues.”
The election of the first American pope is considered an historic moment. The conventional wisdom was that there would not be an American pope because of geopolitical implications, as America already has significant power in the world.
However, Prevost’s eligibility was seemingly aided by his Peruvian citizenship and years spent living and ministering in Peru. Among the cardinals, Prevost was seen as someone who “knows the Vatican, who knows the world” because he spent so much time outside of the United States. His selection is also significant for the future of the U.S. Catholic Church, which is divided between conservatives and progressives.
Pope Leo XIV was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine. This religious order was formed in the 13th century as a community of “mendicant” friars dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization, with requirements and ethos traced to the fifth century St. Augustine of Hippo.
A core value for the Order of St. Augustine is to “live together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God.” The order works in about 50 countries, promoting a contemplative spirituality, communal living and service to others. Six popes before Leo XIV were Augustinians.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni announced Pope Leo XIV’s first appointments and plans. He will celebrate Mass on Friday morning at 11 a.m. with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. He plans to deliver his first Sunday noon blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica and plans to hold an audience with the media on Monday in the Vatican auditorium.
